Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-09-18

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Civilizations in the artillery and en-
qineer service as "vill bring to maxi
mum the development OF our olfensi'c
resources" That he viii be hearkened
TO tLink more 1ouhtIul still. And
having illus .hovn the nature and ex-
tent Of tie notifications intended to
lie introduced into the French army II
may be Well 20 point 70 the intended
ooifcatiCDs Of the German army,
especially in its infantry, which is toe
arm of The service most affected by the
dispositions of the >eptennate military
/ bill. as 30, I9S men Of the additional
/ A., i35 thereby provided for are to be
attached TO It. Before the vote the
Conan infantry consisted OF SOB bat
taiiors, OF which tvs nty were batta-
| hons Of chasseurs, all organized on
/ about the same principle, though dli-
/ ttrtrt in uniform aud in denomination.
/ Tut the original symmetry existing be-
tween the different army corps has
been destroyed. IN consequence of the
/ various special conventions made in
| the matter Of Their military cOnyen-
tous with the several nltionalities con-
shutting the Empire Of Germany, and
in Gems, quonce also of the formation
@. tLe Fifteenth corps, which is spe-
| C.ally destined to service IN Alsace a1d
lolainc, where, differing in this from
9.l The other corps, It has 10 regional
relations.
On paper AMI normally every army
corps should consist of divisions, each
Of 2 bligades of , regiments, rcgi-
mont OF fusileers aud battalion of
clGsscuTs, which, rs all the regiments
have baitalions, every army corps in
Guided 3 Iattalious, except the
Eleventh.. which, with its additional
Hessian division, had 80 battalions
Int in practice it WAS not SO, and the
Conan infantry was organized as fol-
lows; First. regiments OF the Prus-
sian Guards; second, 1873 Prusslan,
Saxon, Baden, and Wurtemburg reeI-
ments numbered from ! to 13l,
there being 10 No. 127; third,
10 regiments Of Bayarian infantry.
forming a special series and num-
bercd from / to 10; total, lGl regi-
mcnts and 1873 battalions. The chas-
sturs are, battalions of the Guard,
tchasscurs and cGrbineers), T. PIussian
and . Saxon bat,alions, numbered from
10 "A; Bayarian battalions, Nos. |,
,, ?, and 4. All these SOB battalions
were unoqually distributed among IS
amy corps Eleventh corps with the
Hessian division, 80; Twelfth corps
Saxon and Second corps (Bayarian),
each of 30 battalions Of the linc
and Of chasseurs the Guard
ard the First Bayarian corps, -
line and. 2 chasseur bat.alions !;
the First, Second, Third. Fifth, Sixth,
Seventh. and Eighth Prussian corps,
" battaiious of the line and / Of the
cEasseurs; the Ninth Prussian corps,
4 lattalious Of the line and . Of chas-
slurs the Fourth, Tenth, and Eff
tccrth corps (Alsaco-Lorrainc), q bat
tolions Of the line and OF chasseurs !;
lhc Fourteenth corps BADEN, - bat
iallons. and the Thirteenth corps
CWurtemburQ), q battalions Of the line,
without any light infantry ut all.
Tie designations OF the regiments
arc complicated they Include tine
ranc Of the province whore recruited,
preceded by a number indicating the
.Eccial series of that province, and fol-
owed by the name OF lis ti.ular chief
I'd is number in the general series o.
The army. For example The Fourth
regiment Of Irundeburg infantry,
Grand Dukcof Meckenburg Schwcllu,
80. a." The regulation effective Of
IN infantry battalion WAS al 500, oil
whom were eighteen commissioned
oiiiccrs, the number OF soldiers
"a each company being l3j. Twelve
icgimcuts-viz., the five original
Guard regiments, existing prior 20 1850,
nd seven regiments IN AlsaCe-Ior-
mine, had their full war complement !;
Che strength OF the light infantry bat
,aiiCns vas about the same as IN tie
Inc. The notifications consequent
uyCn tho new law are First, the crea-
ton Of five additional regiments-four
plussian and one Saxon and OF one
Saxon chaascur battalion, thus in
Creasing the number OF regiments TO
iC6 and Of baitalions to 534. Second,
sLc effective of Prussian battaliOns on
peace footing is raised to BOP, making
'he normal strength Of each company
no instead Of 1875. The strengthened
Elective" which existed in only y
regiments formerly, has been given to
he 4 new Guard regiments and to
J other regiments stationed at Metz,
cuas 0ourg, MulhCuse, and Colmar,
making in al So strengthened bat
tallions." The formation Of two di-
visions OF infantry, the Thirty
Twelfth corps and Thirty-third (Fif-
tcCnth corps), was the natural conse-
quorce Ci the creation of five new regi-
monts, so that at present there are three
German army corps, the Eleventh,
twelfth, and Thirteenth, having three
divisions each. OF the 80 "strength-
,ucd b ttaions 81 belong to the
Guard, and So occupy Alsace-Loraine,
where tie German infantry, on peace
.Coung, counts 42,9G7 men, to whom
loud 10 added all the Fourteenth
OPS and one half OF the Eighth and
-econd corps Bayarien), which garri-
on the western frontier, SO that there
are always so, eco men with $50 cannon
readiness to rePel or to make an at
aCk.
Iy The system Of reserves, which has
rCcn adopted for the formation OF
fourth mobile battalion and fifth bat
,hcn to remain in depot within few
.lys after It's mobilization, the German
,ufaltry will comprise 53t "Gctiye
nd 1876 fourth battalions, or 700 mobile
attalions, u battaliOns OF chasseurs,
nd 1CG depot battalions. In reality,
.bo dispropoitioD, on paper, between
he French and German infantry is not
,uormous, but it is a question
neither the French mobilization ma
chinery Will work SO well as on the
,thtr side of the Rhine, and in the
French enumeration of the forces
yailable there is always perhaps
.Lout the formation of a fourth bat
,alion to each Of the Is required regi-
.nents, while the without doubt that
Qualities the expectation that q bat
'alions from the army OF Africa can be
detached for continental service is not
choed by military men who have
-eIved on the other side of the MedI-
toranean and who do not share the
ptimism Of the Palais Bourbon pOliti-
Ian in the matter of Arab loyalty to
lance.
@-ss-szszs-u.s.--1--sz-ss